HE was the man who was brought in to pull Ferguson back from the edge.

Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, a black man who grew up in the area, replaced Ferguson Police Chief Jon Belmar after days of unrest in the St Louis suburb after an unarmed black teen was shot dead by a white police officer.

“When this is over, I’m gonna go in my son’s room,” Johnson, who is from Ferguson, said, according to Mediaite.

“My black son, who wears his pants saggy, wears his hat cocked to the side, got tattoos on his arms. But that’s my baby, and we all oughta be thanking the Browns for Michael. Because Michael’s gonna make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men.”

Stand off ... Col. Ron Replogle, left, and Capt. Ron Johnson talk with Malik Shabazz, president of the Black Lawyers for Justice (centre) during a march with protesters along W. Florissant Avenue in Ferguson Missouri on Saturday. Picture: AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David CarsonSource: AP

In announcing the curfew, Nixon said that though many protesters were making themselves heard peacefully, the state would not allow looters to endanger the community.

“We must first have and maintain peace. This is a test. The eyes of the world are watching,” Nixon said.

“We cannot allow the ill will of the few to undermine the good will of the many.”

State statute gives the governor broad powers when he declares a state of emergency, but he hasn’t indicated that he plans to do anything other than imposing the curfew and empowering the state highway patrol to enforce it.

Darrell Alexander, 57, said he was worried that the curfew might spur anger and more violence.

Looting again ... Looting began again in Ferguson after police and protesters clashed. Picture: AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Robert CohenSource: AP

“I think it’s an antagonistic decision to not allow people to express their freedom of speech. It’s an overreaction,” he said.

Nixon’s curfew announcement came after tensions again flared late Friday.

Earlier that day, local police identified the officer who shot Brown as Darren Wilson and released documents and video footage alleging that Brown had robbed a convenience store just before he was shot.

Police said Wilson was unaware Brown was a suspect when he encountered him walking in the street with a friend.

Nixon said the US Department of Justice is widening its civil rights investigation of the shooting.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who is in charge of security in Ferguson, said 40 FBI agents were going door-to-door in the neighbourhood starting Saturday, talking to people who might have seen or have information about the shooting.

Police say Michael Brown was robbery suspect, release name of officer who shot him
1:01

Police release surveillance video that allegedly shows Michael Brown robbing a convenience store before he was shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson. Linda So reports.

Reuters

16 Aug 2014

News/World

Brown’s death ignited several days of clashes with furious protesters.

Local officers faced strong criticism for their use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters.

Tensions eased Thursday after Nixon turned oversight of the protests over to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Gone were the police in riot gear and armoured vehicles. But Friday night marked a resurgence of unrest.

Anger erupts. ... after a period of calm anger has once again erupted after vision released by police showed shooting victim, Michael Brown, allegedly robbing a conveinance store. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

On Saturday, some residents said it appeared the violent acts were being committed by people who came from other suburbs or states.

“Who would burn down their own backyard?” asked Rebecca McCloud. “These people aren’t from here. They came to burn down our city and leave.”

Wilson, the officer who shot Brown, is a six-year police veteran who had no previous complaints against him, the local police chief has said.

The Ferguson Police Department has refused to say anything about Wilson’s whereabouts.

Police broke a weeklong silence and revealed the name of the officer involved in the fatal shooting, a move which was supposed to be a step forward in healing the fractured community.

Instead, the decision by Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson to accompany the release of the officer’s name with a police report alleging that the teenager took part in a robbery shortly before the shooting sparked more outrage in the St. Louis suburb.

That outrage grew later in the day after Jackson admitted Darren Wilson was not aware that Michael Brown was a robbery suspect at the time of the shooting.

He stopped him and a companion, Jackson said, “because they were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic.”

The release of the information drew a quick rebuke from Brown’s family, who called it an attempt to divert attention from the killing.

“The family feels that was strategic,” Anthony Gray, a lawyer for Brown’s family, said during a news conference.

“They feel it was aimed at denigrating their son. It was an attempt at character assassination.”

Jackson denied the family’s allegations, saying he decided to release the report and accompanying surveillance video because “I had to. Too many people put in (freedom of information) requests for it.”

To many members of the community, Jackson’s decision feels like a slap in the face, said Shyroun Ridgel, a resident of nearby Jennings and a pastor at Higher Ground Community Outreach Centre.

“It feels like the chief of police is trying to incite us by releasing that information,” she said.

There has been a strong reaction to the Ferguson crisis on social media with users taking to Twitter to document what’s happening on the ground.

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